Postgraduate

RC4SPIRE  is an excellent base for pursuing doctoral research, with a long record of successful PhD students who have gone on to careers in research in academia and in other fields. We welcome postgraduate research students from around the world as members of this community and provide supervision, support and facilities to enable them to achieve their full potential in a stimulating and lively environment.

We have a strong community of postgraduate research students. Currently we have 37 students studying for PhDs in Politics, International Relations or Philosophy. What is more, the interdisciplinary nature of the Research Institute for Social Sciences, of which RC4SPIRE is a part, provides excellent opportunities for networking both with other postgraduates and with the academic staff at Keele, thereby enabling postgraduate researchers to participate fully in all aspects of the research process. We are able to offer a high standard of facilities to postgraduates including well equipped office space, postgraduate research training and seminars, an annual postgraduate conference, social events and a weekly “reflections” group where postgraduate issues can be explored in an informal atmosphere.

Research areas and supervision

Academic staff in RC4SPIRE have research expertise in a large range of areas of politics, policy, international relations and philosophy and provide supervision to PhD students working on various topics within these areas. The interdisciplinary nature of the Research Institute for Social Sciences provides excellent opportunities for networking both with other postgraduates and with the academic staff at Keele, thus enabling postgraduate researchers to participate fully in all aspects of the research process. Our PhD students work with a principal supervisor who is a specialist in their research area. Principal supervisors provide guidance and advice to help students develop their ideas and focus their research questions, to execute high quality research and to structure and write up their thesis. Students and principal supervisors meet regularly to discuss and review progress. As well as having a principal supervisor, each student has a secondary supervisor who is available to offer further support. In addition to meeting regularly with their supervisors, students are required to pass formal progressions stages after 10 months and after 30 months of full time study. Prospective students are welcome to contact potential supervisors to discuss potential research opportunities.

Research training

While studying for their PhD, students are required to undertake a number of research training courses. Such training is very important and very useful in and of itself. In addition, some professional bodies and funding agencies require such training to be completed. Employers also place great value on postgraduate students who have received such training. Students are therefore required to gain 60 credits by taking research training modules, with at least 40 of these gained in the first full time year of study. The training includes the development of both generic and specialist research skills. For more information on research training see the Social Science Postgraduate Research Handbook 2013-14.